The Month that Changed the World

July 1914

Gordon Martel

A gripping, step by step account of the five fateful weeks in 1914 that led to the First World War

Investigates the twists and turns of the July Crisis afresh to show how the catastrophe really unfurled

Highlights how the personalities of the leading statesmen were central to the unfolding crisis

Makes clear how little the conflict was in fact premeditated, preordained, or even predictable

The story of a terrible, unnecessary tragedy, as the Great Powers escalated a Balkan problem into the cataclysm of general war

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914

Gordon Martel

Description

On June 28, 1914, the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in the Balkans. Five fateful weeks later the Great Powers of Europe were at war.

Much time and ink has been spent ever since trying to identify the 'guilty' person or state responsible, or alternatively attempting to explain the underlying forces that 'inevitably' led to war in 1914. Unsatisfied with these explanations, Gordon Martel now goes back to the contemporary diplomatic, military, and political records to investigate the twists and turns of the crisis afresh, with the aim of establishing just how the catastrophe really unfurled.

What emerges is the story of a terrible, unnecessary tragedy -- one that can be understood only by retracing the steps taken by those
who went down the road to war. With each passing day, we see how the personalities of leading figures such as Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Emperor Franz Joseph, Tsar Nicholas II, Sir Edward Grey, and Raymond Poincare were central to the unfolding crisis, how their hopes and fears intersected as events unfolded, and how each new decision produced a response that complicated or escalated matters to the point where they became almost impossible to contain.

Devoting a chapter to each day of the infamous "July Crisis," this gripping step-by-step account of the descent to war makes clear just how little the conflict was in fact premeditated, preordained, or even predictable. Almost every day it seemed possible that the crisis could be settled as so many had been over the previous decade;
almost every day there was a new suggestion that gave statesmen hope that war could be avoided without abandoning vital interests.

And yet, as the last month of peace ebbed away, the actions and reactions of the Great Powers disastrously escalated the situation. So much so that, by the beginning of August, what might have remained a minor Balkan problem had turned into the cataclysm of the First World War.

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914

Gordon Martel

Author Information

Gordon Martel is a leading authority on war, empire, and diplomacy in the modern age. His numerous publications include studies of the origins of the first and second world wars, modern imperialism, and the nature of diplomacy. A founding editor of The International History Review, he has taught at a number of Canadian universities, and has been a visiting professor or fellow in England, Ireland and Australia. Editor-in-Chief of the five-volume Encyclopedia of War, he is also Joint Editor of the longstanding Seminar Studies in History series.

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914

Gordon Martel

Reviews and Awards

"During the centenary year an avalanche of books on the First World War's origins will descend upon the public. Gordon Martel's will stand out among them for its authoritative judgements and for its no-nonsense focus on the decisions that caused the conflict's outbreak. It offers a detailed but compelling narrative of the July 1914 crisis, based overwhelmingly on first-hand and contemporary evidence." --David Stevenson, author of 1914-1918: the History of the First World War

"Few will accuse Martel of hyperbole-the events leading up to WWI certainly changed world history dramatically-and in this fascinating and accessible account, the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of War clearly details the day-by-day developments, from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo to England's declaration of war." -- Publishers Weekly

"Martel embraces the complexity of the historical moment and presents a thoroughly (and at times, bewilderingly) detailed blow-by-blow account of the flurry of diplomatic activity that, despite many opportunities to maintain peace, ultimately plunged the world into war."
--Booklist

"Mr. Martel's "The Month That Changed the World" relies on published primary sources (which are exploited very thoroughly) and secondary works, and the author makes very effective use of a day-by-day narrative approach. He has some acute insights."
--Wall St Journal

The Month that Changed the World

July 1914

Gordon Martel

From Our Blog

Time passes quickly. As we track the progression of events hundred years ago on the Western Front, the dramas flash by. In the time it takes to answer an e-mail the anniversary of another battle has come and gone.

Over the last few weeks, historian Gordon Martel, author of The Month That Changed The World: July 1914, has been blogging regularly for us, giving a week-by-week and day-by-day account of the events leading up to the First World War. July 1914 was the month that
changed the world, but who were the people that contributed to that change?

By Gordon Martel
At 6 a.m. in Brussels the Belgian government was informed that German troops would be entering Belgian territory. Later that morning the German minister assured them that Germany remained ready to offer them 'the hand of a brother' and to negotiate a modus vivendi.

By Gordon Martel
At 7 a.m. Monday morning the reply of the Belgian government was handed to the German minister in Brussels. The German note had made 'a deep and painful impression' on the government. France had given them a formal declaration that it would not violate Belgian neutrality, and, if it were to do so, 'the Belgian army would offer the most vigorous resistance to the invader'.

By Gordon Martel
Confusion was still widespread on the morning of 2 August 1914. On Saturday Germany and France had joined Austria-Hungary and Russia in announcing their general mobilization; by 7 p.m. Germany appeared to be at war with Russia. Still, the only shots fired in anger consisted of the bombs that the Austrians continued to shower on Belgrade.

By Gordon Martel
The choice between war and peace hung in the balance on Saturday, 1 August 1914. Austria-Hungary and Russia were proceeding with full mobilization: Austria-Hungary was preparing to mobilize along the Russian frontier in Galicia; Russia was preparing to mobilize along the German frontier in Poland.

By Gordon Martel
As the day began a diplomatic solution to the crisis appeared to be within sight at last. The German chancellor had insisted that Austria agree to negotiate directly with Russia. While Germany was prepared to fulfill the obligations of its alliance with Austria, it would decline 'to be drawn wantonly into a world conflagration by Vienna'.

By Gordon Martel
Before the sun rose on Wednesday morning a new hope for a negotiated settlement of the crisis was initiated. The Kaiser, acting on the advice of his chancellor, wrote directly to the tsar.

By Gordon Martel
Kaiser Wilhelm received a copy of the Serbian reply to the Austrian demands in the morning. Reading it over, he concluded that the Habsburg monarchy had achieved its aims and that the few points Serbia objected to could be settled by negotiation.

By Gordon Martel
When day dawned on Sunday, 26 July, the sky did not fall. Shells did not rain down on Belgrade. There was no Austrian declaration of war. The morning remained peaceful, if not calm. Most Europeans attended their churches and prepared to enjoy their day of rest. Few said prayers for peace; few believed divine intervention was necessary.

By Gordon Martel
Would there be war by the end of the day? It certainly seemed possible: the Serbs had only until 6 p.m. to accept the Austrian demands. Berchtold had instructed the Austrian representative in Belgrade that nothing less than full acceptance of all ten points contained in the ultimatum would be regarded as satisfactory. And no one expected the Serbs to comply with the demands in their entirety ' least of all the Austrians.

By Gordon Martel
By mid-day Friday heads of state, heads of government, foreign ministers and ambassadors learned the terms of the Austrian ultimatum. A preamble to the demands asserted that a 'subversive movement' to 'disjoin' parts of Austria-Hungary had grown 'under the eyes' of the Serbian government.

By Gordon Martel
Two weeks after the assassination, by Monday, 13 July, Austria's hopes of pinning the guilt directly on the Serbian government had evaporated. The judge sent to investigate reported that he had been unable to discover any evidence proving its complicity in the plot.

Having assured the Austrians of his support on Sunday, the kaiser on Monday departed on his yacht, the Hohenzollern, for his annual summer cruise of the Baltic. When his chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, met with Count Hoyos and the Austrian ambassador in Berlin that afternoon, he confirmed that
Germany would stand by them 'shoulder-to-shoulder'.

At 10 a.m. that morning the royal party arrived at the railway station. A motorcade consisting of six automobiles was to proceed from there along the Appel Quay to the city hall.The first automobile was to be manned by four special security
detectives assigned to guard the archduke, but only one of them managed to take his place; local policemen substituted for the others.

By Gordon Martel
The next day was to be a brilliant one, a splendid occasion that would glorify the achievements of Austrian rule in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Habsburg heir to the thrones of Austria and Hungary, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, had been eagerly anticipating it for months.

In honor of the centennial of World War I, we're remembering the momentous period of history that forever changed the world as we know it. July 1914 was the month that changed the world. On 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, and just five weeks later the Great Powers of Europe were at war. But how did
it all happen?